U.S. Department of Agriculture

The advocacy group Friends of the Earth says in fiscal year 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture spent $4.8 billion on food for school meals, food banks and tribal communities. Almost half of that went to just 25 companies.

Roughly 28,000 Wyomingites receive SNAP benefits each month, with an average payment of about $185 per person.

Over the summer, an executive order from President Trump called for the consolidation of federal wildfire programs "to the maximum degree practicable." The secretaries of Interior and Agriculture recently released their plans responding to that and other demands – and they've garnered praise and criticism.

In June, the Trump administration called for a consolidation of federal wildfire agencies “to achieve the most efficient and effective use of wildland fire offices.” Now federal leaders have released plans about how to carry out the order.

A federal judge recently ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to scale back its use of pesticides in all western states. Environmental groups say the ruling is a big step toward protecting rangeland wildlife.

Next October, states will take on 75% of the price tag of processing benefits and figuring out eligibility. The federal government and states previously split those administrative costs 50-50.

The plan, released last week by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, would eliminate the Forest Service’s nine regional offices over the next year, including offices in Montana, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Retirees from the agency said they were "extremely concerned."

It would be called the U.S. Wildland Fire Service, according to budget documents from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior. The agency would consolidate the wildland fire programs of the USDA and Interior within the latter.

The grant program provided funding to buy food from small-scale producers and distribute it to folks in need across the state.

In the middle of February, Hannah and Ryan were abruptly fired from their federal jobs with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service.